Instructions for completing a reference letter – form 201

General information

Complete a reference letter if you have agreed to evaluate an applicant for an NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship – Doctoral (PGS D) or a Postdoctoral Fellowship (PDF). If you are the applicant’s proposed supervisor, you cannot complete the letter unless you are currently their supervisor or have supervised them in the past.

For more information, refer to the Frequently asked questions for references completing a reference letter – form 201 web page.

Before proceeding

By submitting your reference letter to NSERC, you confirm that you have read and understood these instructions. This is in addition to your acceptance of the terms and conditions for references. Refer to the Signatures section below for the requirements associated with electronically submitted documents.

Best practices for limiting unconscious biases

NSERC is committed to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion to ensure equitable access across its programs.

NSERC encourages the use of inclusive language, which has been shown to decrease unconscious bias during the evaluation process. For more information, refer to the Limiting Unconscious Bias section of the Canada Research Chairs website.

The following best practices and considerations should be taken into account when drafting your reference letter:

• Write “the applicant” in place of the applicant’s name and “they/them/their” in place of the applicant’s pronouns. This separates your assessment of the applicant from perceptions, presumptions or unconscious bias related to their race, ethnicity, nationality and/or gender.
• Be objective, accurate, fair, clear and balanced.
• Attempt to make use of all available space in the provided text box(es).
• Support your points by providing specific examples of accomplishments where possible.
• Use superlative descriptors (for example, excellent, outstanding) judiciously and support them with evidence.
• Include only information that is relevant to the selection criteria. Avoid sharing personal information about the applicant.
• Avoid words or sentences that reflect prejudiced, stereotyped or discriminatory language of particular people or groups or their institution.
• Avoid inappropriate comments.
• Do not include links that refer to external sources.

You should also refer to the tri-agency Bias in peer review training module as a guide for preventing unconscious bias in merit review.

For further information on unconscious bias, consult the Gender-based Analysis Plus: Unconscious bias section of the Women and Gender Equality Canada website.

Deadline

Applicants have been advised to provide their references with a deadline that is well before the application deadline to allow applicants to submit their completed applications on time. The applicant cannot submit their application until the reference letter has been completed and submitted in NSERC’s online system. We recommend that you submit your reference letter well in advance of the applicant’s deadline to allow enough time for the applicant to complete and submit their application. No deadline extensions will be given to applicants who are unable to submit because of missing reference letters.

Personal information

The information you provide in your letter is collected under the authority of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Act.

The collection, use, disclosure, retention and disposal of your personal information are outlined in the following policy statements:

• The Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act 
• The Data retention information
• The Privacy notice

For more information, refer to the Personal Information Banks described in NSERC’s Info Source.

Upon request, NSERC will provide applicants access to information about themselves that is kept in these data banks but does not provide the applicant with the name of the person who submitted the reference letter or the names of any other applicants mentioned in a comparative context. However, due to the nature of the application process, applicants are usually aware of who has completed their letter. As a result, privacy and/or anonymity cannot be guaranteed.

Help with the NSERC online system

• Consult the frequently asked questions web page for information on how to use the online system.
• Contact the online services helpdesk by sending an email to webapp@nserc-crsng.gc.ca or by calling 1-855-275-2861. Include your email address and telephone number in your message.

Completing your reference letter

Applicants indicate the name and email addresses of the two references who will complete the Reference letters – form 201 in their application for a PGS D or PDF. An email is then generated by the online system inviting you, as a reference, to complete the letter. If you do not receive this email, you should confirm that it is not in your junk, spam or deleted email folder. If you are still unable to locate the email invitation, the applicant should re-invite you using a different email address.

Follow the instructions provided in the email and submit the required information by the deadline provided by the applicant. You will have access to their application while completing your reference letter.

Structure and content of your reference letter

The reference letter is a critical component of the application package and can significantly influence its evaluation.

It is recommended that you structure your letter into two sections: one for each selection criteria associated with the funding program to which the applicant is applying.

Review committee members rely on these letters to provide additional insight into the applicant and to support the other sections of the submitted application file. Reference letters may include, among other things, insight into the applicant’s individual research skills, ability to work independently, ability to collaborate with other researchers, collegiality with other team members, communication skills, grantsmanship, ability to apply concepts from university education to independent research and research proposals, level of community service and engagement, teaching and mentorship ability and future potential within natural sciences and/or engineering, etc. You are strongly encouraged to provide concrete examples that focus on the applicant (highlighting their skills, abilities and contributions) and to avoid placing undue emphasis on a single research contribution to a single research laboratory. You are also encouraged to address any qualities, skills and/or contributions that may not be immediately apparent to the review committee members evaluating the application.

You are expected to take measures to mitigate implicit or unconscious bias, and are strongly encouraged to review the NSERC Guidelines on the assessment of contributions to research, training and mentoring. These provide guidance and advice informed by the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment.

For additional guidance, consult the Selection criteria and indicators section and Appendices A and B of the Review committee guide for Postgraduate Scholarships – Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowships programs, which provide useful information on what review committee members look for when assessing applications.

Length of the reference letter

• PGS D (one text box): You are limited to the space available in the text box, which is approximately half a page.
• PDF (two text boxes): The first text box represents approximately half a page. The second text box is approximately three-quarters of a page.

NSERC encourages references to make full use of the allotted space. Your letter must be typed into the text box(es), and it is imperative that you preview your letter before it is submitted to ensure that your text fits within the allotted space. When entering text, do not use double quotes as it will result in an error message; rather, use single quotes. Text that is not visible on the previewed letter will not be seen by NSERC staff or the review committee members.

Once your letter is complete, you must successfully verify your letter (all mandatory fields of the form must be completed). On the Accept and Submit page, select Click here to verify your letter. Once it is verified, you must agree to the terms and conditions by selecting I accept, and your letter will then be attached to the application. The status of your letter on the applicant’s portfolio will change to Document Completed, and you will no longer have access to it. If you wish to make changes, you must communicate with the applicant and request that the letter be unlocked for revisions. Once the letter is unlocked, you will be able to make the changes and resubmit the letter electronically. Note that once the applicant has submitted the full application to NSERC, this functionality will no longer be available.

Selection criteria

For information on the selection criteria for the PGS D program, refer to the Canada Graduate Scholarships – Doctoral (CGS D) program  web page.

For information on the selection criteria for the PDF program, refer to the Review process and selection criteria section of the PDF program web page.